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Home My WebLink About2004-12-13 - City Commission Regular Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC TOWN MEETING "RESURRECTING THE AMERICAN DREAM" MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2004 TAMARAC COMMUNITY CENTER CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Schreiber called the Town Meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. at the Tamarac Community Center, 8601 W Commercial Boulevard, Tamarac, FL, PRESENT: Mayor Joe Schreiber, Vice Mayor Marc L. Sultanof, Commissioner Edward C. Portner (arrived at 7:20 p.m.), Commissioner Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco, and Commissioner Karen L. Roberts. City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, Moderator Panel Discussion -Job Creation in Tamarac Don Fallenbaum, Chair, Greater Tamarac Chamber of Commerce Harry Dressler, Chair, City of Tamarac Economic Development Advisory Committee/Foundation Joan Goodrich, Executive Vice President, Broward Alliance Deputy City Manager Michael C. Cernech, Moderator Panel Discussion -Future of Education in Tamarac Stephanie Arma Kraft, Chair, Broward County School Board Dr. Cheryl Cendan, Principal, Millennium Middle School Community Development Director J. Christopher King, Moderator Panel Discussion -Affordable Housing in Tamarac Joseph Kocy, Assistant to the County Administrator, Broward County Armando Fana, Field Office Director, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Tony Mijares, Chair of the Board, United Homes City Clerk Marion Swenson Mayor Schreiber opened the town meeting and welcomed everyone. Community Development Director King introduced the Affordable Housing in Tamarac panel and spoke of Tamarac's programs and strategies. Joseph Kocy spoke of the following: • strategies used in other parts of the country to provide affordable housing, • housing costs, • attracting qualified employees to an area, • tax bases, • zoning, Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 1 of 9 December 17, 2004 • redevelopment, • density, • mass transit systems. Mr. Kocy said all levels of government must cooperate and collaborate to create incentives, and Tamarac is very innovative. Mr. Kocy said the state and county have financial resources to assist the City. Mr. Fana said he is a long time resident of Broward County and spoke of programs available to home buyers, and added the programs are flexible. Mr. Fana said there is less federal funding available and we must look at other components. Mr. Fana discussed regulatory barriers which drive up the cost of housing, such as: • out of date building codes, • zoning, • taxes, • impact fees, • length and review time of permits, • supply and demand. Mr. Fana said Florida is a wonderful state in which to live because of our weather and low taxes, and Tamarac has already instituted many programs to eliminate regulatory barriers. Mr. Fana informed the panelists and audience of the online clearinghouse that provides information on how to reduce regulatory barriers. w. ww.regbarri_ers_.orrg Mr. Mijares spoke about affordable housing from the private sector's perspective and said United Homes only builds affordable housing, which is now called 'workforce housing'. Mr. Mijares stressed the scarcity and high cost of land on which to build, and said without density it is difficult to make the numbers work. Mr. Mijares referenced the high cost of construction and the fact that China is now buying up concrete, steel and wood, also driving prices up. Mr. Mijares informed everyone that Tamarac has the finest approval and permitting process and staff is very well versed in construction issues. Mr. Mijares relayed that increased impact fees are passed on to the home buyer, and said the counties must step up to the plate and contribute sufficient funds for development. Mr. Mijares boasted that United Homes is a pioneer in Dade County, having built the first affordable home project at a Metro Rail transit station (Santa Clara). Residents can avail themselves of shopping and transportation right at their doorstep. The nine -story building was fully rented prior to completion and a 16-story building is now underway. United Homes is also a pioneer in affordable residential development on State Road 7 in Margate. The townhome project rejuvenated the area and the residents can utilize the local shops, helping everyone to prosper. Mr. Mijares spoke of a mixed -use project in Lauderdale Lakes -part of their Main Street development, consisting of affordable condominiums and townhouses, as well as retail and office space all on one site. People can work, shop and play in one area. Mr. Mijares spoke Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 2 of 9 December 17, 2004 of incentives, such as CDBG funding and impact fee waivers to help bring more affordable housing to an area. Commissioner Partner said the connotation of affordable housing has changed over the years; it is quality homes for working people. Commissioner Portner said at a recent conference he attended, he learned funding for HUD has been cut so we must write to our congressmen and representatives and insist they get funding restored. Commissioner Portner said the traditional 15 and 30 year mortgages should be a thing of the past; the length of mortgages should be increased to 40-50 years to make the payments more affordable. Mr. Fana replied that FHA programs are more flexible and there are adjustable rate mortgages available. FHA is looking at zero down payment options, and there are some 40 year mortgages coming through now; the market will have to respond. Commissioner Portner said he is on the transportation committee for State Road 7, and State Road 7 can accommodate a lot of people moving into Broward County. Building at transit stations as well as rapid transit will take a lot of cars off the road. Vice Mayor Sultanof spoke of erecting high rises to circumvent the lack of land, and said he is in favor of demolishing vacant commercial units to make those lands more viable. Vice Mayor Sultanof said no city can survive without development, but that also brings forth a need for schools, libraries, museums and shopping. Vice Mayor Sultanof questioned the School Board's method of calculating the number of children per residence. Mr. Mijares stated that it is critical for cities in Broward County to realize that we can not spread out; we can only go up. Codes and height restrictions must be reviewed. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco thanked the Mayor and City Commission and staff for putting this evening together, and added that the public must be educated. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said there is nothing like seeing a professional do their job. One of the beauties of living in a city is being able to shop where you live without having to use a car. Mayor Schreiber said people like living in Tamarac because there are no high rise buildings, and the importance of empty land and population needs to be balanced. People moved here for a particular lifestyle; Tamarac started as a bedroom community and many years ago our leaders passed up the opportunity to annex land. Private and public interests must work together to solve these problems; we need to be visionaries as people in Tamarac will not be happy with high rise buildings. Burt Schneider, 8016 NW 72 Street, Tamarac, said he has been here for 25 years and he does not think there is a solution to the problem. Mr. Schneider spoke about Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 3 of 9 December 17, 2004 environmental issues, traffic, and desalination plants, and added that affordable housing is a misnomer, as affordable is relative. Andrew Flaxman, 9654 NW 76 Street, Tamarac, said as a group we must address how affordable housing will fit into the infrastructure of the city. Mr. Flaxman spoke of school overcrowding and build out, and said we must consider the provision of services to the residents. Stewart Webster, 7900 Colony Circle S, Tamarac, complimented the panelists and said he is concerned about the level of advertising this meeting was given. Mr. Webster suggested the Mayor and City Commission visit the possibility of providing incentives to teachers and public servants to live in Tamarac. Mr. Webster said Tamarac needs to become more aggressive when looking at affordable housing. Mr. Mijares said United Homes is in the process of completing its 7t" or 8tn project in Tamarac and he commended staff and the Mayor and City Commission for working closely in this public/private partnership. Commissioner Partner said 30 years ago he lived in an apartment in the Woodlands Division when Tamarac's population was 26,000. Today it is 57,000, and expected to increase by another 16,000. We must accommodate the newcomers, as we were accommodated 30 years ago; by doing this our taxes will be kept down. Mayor Schreiber thanked the panelists from the Affordable Housing Panel. Deputy City Manager Cernech introduced Mrs. Stephanie Kraft and Dr. Cheryl Cendan, and said education is a major concern of the Mayor and City Commission. As the demographics of Tamarac continue to change education will become more of an issue; as jobs are created there will be a need for housing which will lead to a need for schools. Through the efforts of the Mayor and City Commission and the School Board over the past few years we have been afforded schools in Tamarac. Tamarac consists of a diverse population which is served in our schools; our students are good, respectable and willing to learn. There is great involvement on the part of the parents. The Mayor and City Commission are very involved in education and have gotten staff involved as well. We looked at several alternatives to public schools; in working with the School Board, parents and staff, additional rooms are being built for Tamarac Elementary School; modular rooms are on tap for Millennium Middle School and Challenger Elementary School, and more rooms are being considered for Taravella High School. There is a good effort moving forward to improve an already good education system serving Tamarac. Mrs. Kraft said it is a privilege to serve as the School Board member representing Tamarac for the past six years. Mrs. Kraft said while overcrowding is a paramount Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 4 of 9 December 17, 2004 issue, it is not the only issue, and gave a PowerPoint presentation on the school system and spoke about: • the mission statement, • major goals, • ranking sixth largest system in the nation, • diversity breakdown, • largest employer in Broward County, • teacher experience and accreditation, • number of schools, student achievement, recognitions, meals, fiscal responsibility, • funding and costs, • enrollment, • new schools, • technology • amount of money actually received from lottery sales Mrs. Kraft addressed overcrowding and how it relates to class size reduction. Mrs. Kraft said many teachers can not afford to live in Broward County, and spoke about partnerships and mitigation from developers. Dr. Cendan discussed: • Millennium's partnership with the City of Tamarac, • overcrowding, • the diverse population of Millennium Middle School Commissioner Roberts questioned the funding formula used by the school board. Commissioner Roberts said Tamarac's population is accustomed to getting services for the price we offer and she does not believe the residents in District 4 want high rises and more traffic. We need to provide our students with a good education; Tamarac Elementary School is now capped. Commissioner Roberts spoke of boundary issues and said parents do not want their children bussed. Commissioner Roberts added that while she is not against affordable housing, she feels Tamarac does as much as it can for affordable housing on smaller sites and we need to keep quality housing and education in Tamarac. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned if the statement was made that high rises were actually coming to Tamarac, but rather that there are high rises in Broward County, Mayor Schreiber spoke of the reduction in class size and said the vision of the school administrators is poor as they must build up not out, and added with the new technology it may be possible to educate students at home via the internet. Mrs. Kraft stated that Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 5 of 9 December 17, 2004 some virtual education programs are available. Mayor Schreiber commended Mrs. Kraft and Dr. Cendan on the great job they are doing. Vice Mayor Sultanof said education has changed drastically, and due to overcrowding we need to build up. Vice Mayor Sultanof thanked City Manager Miller for going to the School Board and fighting for a high school. Mrs. Kraft said she appreciates the partnership with the City of Tamarac; there is little to no land available but there may be other solutions; we need visionaries and we need to work together. Commissioner Portner said vacant land is not the answer; areas can be redeveloped into schools, and he would like the School Board to look into redeveloping rather than building on vacant land. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned why schools are built out not up. Mrs. Kraft explained there are regulations that determine acreage needed for schools. Primary grade and special needs children are not allowed to be housed above the first level and enough classrooms are needed on the first floor to accommodate those students. It becomes a safety issue in the event of fire or emergencies. Three-story High and Middle Schools are being built now but some communities do not want high rise schools. Sy Gold, 7688 Trent Drive, Tamarac asked if any high schools are on double sessions and Mrs. Kraft responded no, as there are problems fitting in the extra curricular activities with double sessions, coordinating work schedules for students, and additional costs associated with school bus transportation. Andrew Flaxman, 9654 NW 76 Street, Tamarac asked if the addition of the modular units could be moved up to completion for this year. Stewart Webster, 7900 Colony Circle S, Tamarac said he is the Vice Chair of the School Board Diversity Committee and a member of the Technology Sub -Committee. Mr. Webster said it is a pleasure to be in Mrs. Kraft's district, and added that Commissioner Roberts has shown relentless involvement with schools in Tamarac. Mr. Webster spoke against virtual education in that it deprives students of socialization. Deputy City Manager Cernech thanked Mrs. Kraft and Dr. Cendan for participating in the panel discussion. City Manager Miller introduced the panel members for economic development/focus on job creation: Don Fallenbaum, Chair of the Greater Tamarac Chamber of Commerce; Harry Dressler, Chair of the Tamarac Economic Development Committee; and Joan Goodrich, Executive Vice President for the Broward Alliance. City Manager Miller said Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 6 of 9 December 17, 2004 since the 1990 census Tamarac's population has increased over 25%, from 44,822 to an estimated 58,000 in 2004. The median age has dropped from 63.5 in 1990 to 52.9 in 2000, and the 1990 census reported Tamarac's workforce at 13,445; current estimates place this number in excess of 24,000. Tamarac is no longer exclusively a retirement community, but has become a well-balanced city of retirees, young adults, children and working families, creating a positive impact on the local economy, and providing an available workforce for local businesses. Due to this demographic change, job creation in Tamarac has become a major goal of our economic plan, and several years ago Tamarac established economic development as one of the top goals in the City's Strategic Plan. An economic development coordinator was hired, and a Five -Year Strategic Plan for Economic Development was prepared. Because of the City's overhaul of the permitting process, Tamarac established a new reputation and developers found Tamarac's approach to business development a refreshing change from previous years. "Straight Talk, Good Business" has become our slogan. Economic incentives, facilitating the relocation of businesses and industries to the City were instituted, and targeted industry groups include light industrial, medical, retail, and high technology. Tamarac experienced substantial growth in each of these areas and has benefited financially from their growth. These industry groups are clean, efficient, and provide steady, well -paying jobs. The development of Tamarac Commerce Park serves as an example of the effectiveness the City has had in assisting local businesses and industries to relocate here. The joint efforts of the City, County, and private developers towards the construction of Hiatus Road, a major north/south entryway into the park, has allowed the 500-acre business center to become an accessible, visible, and thriving hub of industrial, office and commercial development. The Park has become the City's prime location for light industry and it is currently home to several national headquarters, including Arch Aluminum & Glass and Sonny's Enterprises. City Furniture, Florida's largest furniture retailer and distributor, has its headquarters in the Park with nearly 1,000,000 square feet of retail showrooms, corporate offices, and warehouse space and a major expansion of this complex is planned for next year. Other major corporations in the Park include Sunbelt Interplex, a manufacturer of electronic parts that trades regularly with China. New regional facilities for water producers Culligan and Zephyrhills are located here as well. The City continues to recruit businesses into the Park at a steady rate. Some of our newest companies include South Florida's largest indoor Dodge Chrysler auto dealership, a new Infiniti auto dealership which is under construction, the Gold Coast Realty School, Keyes Real Estate Corporate offices, MSK Precision Products Corporation, Future Metals Corporation, Aurafin Jewelry, Toshiba Business Products, the Sun -Sentinel Distribution Center, and Mayor's Jewelry corporate offices. All of these companies have or will soon locate within the Tamarac Commerce Park. There are estimated to be over 5,000 employees working in the businesses that are currently located in the Park, and future projections show this number to be around 8,000 at build -out. Additionally, several developers have constructed multi -tenant buildings, and they are very successful in leasing dual office and warehouse space. A mixture of diverse business activities are included in these bays, such as import/export, light manufacturing, distribution facilities, Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 7 of 9 December 17, 2004 and warehouses for companies located in other parts of the county. Two developers are currently expanding their sites with additional facilities. The market for these buildings in the Park remains strong. Additionally, there are major employers located outside of the Commerce Park. University Hospital, which employs over 1,000 people, is the City's largest employer outside of the Commerce Park. Technion Communications Corporation is the next largest, followed by Publix Grocery Stores (with three stores in Tamarac), followed by the City of Tamarac government. The City encourages growth of small and medium sized businesses through partnerships with organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. These businesses are primarily the retail and professional office sectors of our economy. This growth is reflected in the number of occupational licenses issued; at the end of fiscal year 2003, the City had over 2,200 business licenses, up 15.5% from five years ago. The largest number of new businesses in Tamarac outside of the Tamarac Commerce Park are within the retail, insurance, physician and professional service industries. The City's workforce is projected to grow to over 25,000 by next year. In the past, the retail sector was the largest economic segment, with 27% of the workforce; finance 13% and business services 9% followed. Projections for 2004 from our Community Development Department show some variations from the 1990 census numbers and these projections show increases in construction, health care and the self-employed sectors with the largest increase expected in the health care sector, moving from 8% in 1997 to a little over 17% now. Retail and finance sectors, as well as business services are expected to continue to decrease. The self-employed sector will increase as younger families continue to move into the city. The future for Tamarac looks very good for job creation if the immediate past is any example. Mr. Fallenbaum spoke of the functions of the Chamber of Commerce as they relate to job growth and said Tamarac is pro business and a well oiled machine. The prospects of the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce are great. Ms. Goodrich said Broward County is committed to economic development and a partnership with the City of Tamarac; the Broward Alliance is the official public/private partnership for economic development and an advocate for additional improvements to the business climate. Ms. Goodrich said education and quality of life is important to the Alliance. Mr. Dressler said the Tamarac Economic public/private partnership on a local level. Mr • innovation, • challenge, • leadership • vision Development Advisory Foundation is a Dressler spoke of: Commissioner Roberts said she received excellent feedback with regard to the Taste of Tamarac and looks forward to the event next year. Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 8 of 9 1 1 December 17, 2004 Vice Mayor Sultanof said the City can not prosper without a viable and strong Chamber of Commerce. The Economic Development Advisory Foundation is a wise step forward; the Alliance is a partner; and the commerce park has grown. Vice Mayor Sultanof said he is very proud and thanks everyone for being involved in our future. Mayor Schreiber spoke of his dream for economic development for Tamarac, which will keep taxes down and the millage rate stable. For five years now there have been no tax increases and everything is working well. Commissioner Portner thanked the City Manager and staff for arranging this meeting and said he is disappointed no one from the press was in attendance. Mr. Fallenbaum said the elected officials and staff deserve credit for the direction Tamarac has taken and it is important to continue to work together. Ms. Goodrich announced the Broward Alliance Board of Directors will host its next Board meeting at City Furniture on January 20, and invited the elected officials and staff to attend. Mayor Schreiber adjourned the meeting at 9:40 p.m. MARION SWENSON, CMC CITY CLERK Town Meeting "Resurrecting the American Dream" December 13, 2004 Page 9 of 9 December 17, 2004